Bad RP/Strategy (split from RP Praise!)

[The Sociologist]

On your essays... like Chris already said, almost all the items of essay 1 were already on our to-do list...

I'm glad to hear that. By the way, what wasn't in the essays was any attempt to revive daily tiredness to a noticable level.

So, what's being implemented next?

[tiddy ogg]

It's like that old story about the man asking directions to somewhere.
"I wouldn't start from here."
But we ARE here. Few people want to start again from scratch, as the game ain't broke enough for that. In fact, I'm quite happy with it, except...etc etc.
All praise to all the staff, who, I'm sure must realise that only gripes get aired, seldom praise.

[SuperSonicScientist]

I get easily confused so bear with me... is being a quiet worker bad RP. I guess when I thinl of books there are loads of characters that are not a lot more than a name... A bit like the security guards with the red shirt on an away mission.

Surely some characters are just there for production or as cannon fodder?

[SekoETC]

If someone never talks or expresses emotions, you just assume they have no inner life, no thoughts. It's different to rp being a silent, dedicated worker than just being it. I've seen some wonderful shy characters, who won't say much but when they do, they're very polite and say Sir and Miss, that's very charming. And always working. Mostly speaking in whispers, and rarely speaking if not addressed. But definitely showing a personality. Lifting your head from the sewing or cooking or what ever you happen to be doing, to glance to the door as someone comes in gives the notice that you as a player are not handling your characters as mindless drones, even if they happened to spend more time working than chatting.

When I started rp:ing in a Finnish chatroom, I was shot down for starting with a oneliner. The person told me if I cannot put more detail into it, I'm not worthy of playing a drow. I was defending myself by saying "maybe my character wanted to remain unnoticed" but she told me if that were the case, there are plenty of ways to rp such intent rather than just using few words.

[Solfius]

I like the quiet worker types: they're useful to me.

[El_Skwidd]

I've been finding the strategy side more and more appealing just because there's so much that can be done if you find the right help in the game. Solf, you said that you found Cantr looking for web strategy games. That's exactly how I found it too.

I'm not saying that it's not a role-playing game because it definitely is, to an extent. Don't get role-playing confused with emoting, though. A role is a characters place in the world, almost like a job. Attached to the job is a personality and a whole long list of traits that completes the character.

As for skills, I think a profession-based skill set like Sociologist has been advocating would help people get a better idea of their role as a character. If you have a character's goals in mind at the outset, you should be able to have their skills conform to those goals. Of course, if you've got no idea what you want the character to do or if you just don't care, there could still be a random option.

Yeah, lost my train of thought.

[tiddy ogg]

If you can specify your profession at the outset, I'm sure you'd finish up with all soldiers and metalsmiths. This would certainly foul up the game, which is meant to be an exercise in free development.
You'ain't gonna get many people electing for their chars to be dung dryers... and you're really screwed if you want to be a woodsman and get spawned in the mountains.

[Solutions Maximus]

I like having skills, but I wouldn't like if the game because based on skills. I think Tiddy is absolutely correct.

In real life, we can be good at almost anything we try to be good at. Of course, getting good at one skill often increases skill in another area. For example, developing music ability enhances ability in math and language.

For the most part, I like the skills as they are.

[SuperSonicScientist]

If you can specify your profession at the outset, I'm sure you'd finish up with all soldiers and metalsmiths. This would certainly foul up the game, which is meant to be an exercise in free development.
You'ain't gonna get many people electing for their chars to be dung dryers... and you're really screwed if you want to be a woodsman and get spawned in the mountains.

That makes a nasty assumption about cantr players, maybe they are not all bloodthirsty morons?

Of course if they are then maybe you could only give 2 characters expert in any skill set..? That would prevent 15 Soldier/Pirate characters

[Solfius]

I think any system where players can choose their skills at the outset goes against the game's character.

I think people would be happier with the system if change was quicker and more obvious.

I don't know how it works now, but when skills was being discussed one idea was that you have X skill points and as you improve at one skill you get worse at another one you don't use much. If skills were to improve faster I think this would be important for balance.

[Marian]

I think skills either need to be easier to improve or gotten rid of all together. I had to spend ten years hunting eight times a day before finally improving even the tiniest bit...so practice obviously does not make perfect in Cantr. If your char decides they want to be a cook or a tailor or a weaponsmith, or whatever they want to be, they should hav a reasonabkle chance of getting better at those things if they do it long enough. Ten years is just ridiculous.

Maybe ther could be a period, like the first five years of a char's life, where they learn about five times faster then normal? Then you at least would have a chance at developing a couple of skills you want to be good at...and somebody spawned on a mountain would be more likely to learn how to be a good miner, and somebody spawned in a forest would learn to be a good woodchopper. People would also have a better chance at becoming attached to their communities, since they're likely to spend the first five years 'apprenticed' to somone there instead of wasting their precious skill training time walking somewhere else. Even if they spawn somewhere the player doesn't really like, theyt might decide to give it a chance because of this and after a couple of years become a part of the community after all.

[BarbaricAvatar]

Everyone listen to Marian! That makes a lot of sense!

[sem]

Personally I think it would be interesting if skills could be taught.

Suppose, for the sake of argument, that each hour's work on a project normally earns one 'point' of advancement towards the next skill level. Collaborating on a project with someone of a higher skill level would then boost the learning rate depending on the difference in skill levels. A novice character working with an efficient one could earn two points per hour; an awkward character working with an expert might earn five (one he'd get anyway plus four for the skill difference).

This could lead to less skilled characters wandering around looking for an expert in their chosen field in order to learn faster. Experts would have an additional supply of willing labour wishing to learn the craft from them.

[pur]

I think the skill learning won't benefit the RP. quite the opposite, it would grow to be more of an stats game then. You would end up getting people that only make useless stuff whole day because they want a good skill.

[Mykey]

Happens... Such casual concurrence